About You:You have hands-on experience navigating airworthiness security certification on a civil aviation program. You understand how DO-326A/ED-202A, ARP4754B, and DO-356A/ED-203A apply to certification programs, and you've built or contributed to a Plan for Security Aspects of Certification (PSecAC) or equivalent artifact where no process existed before. You know how to show compliance to applicable requirements for FAA/EASA or a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) approval.
Merlin Labs builds autonomous aviation systems for demanding defense customers, and we are establishing the civil side of our aviation cyber certification capability as our program portfolio grows. This is a foundational role: you will build the processes, procedures, and documentation that carry Merlin's civil aviation cyber certification work, working with minimal supervision and closely with our Information Systems Security team on the military airworthiness side. If you have a builder's, 0-to-1 mentality and want to own how Merlin approaches aviation cybersecurity certification, this is the role.
Responsibilities:- Establish civil aviation cyber certification discipline: define the processes, procedures, templates, and artifact structure needed to support airworthiness security certification as civil aviation programs come online.
- Lead airworthiness security activities aligned to DO-326A/ED-202A and ARP4754B, including threat and security risk identification, and develop the Plan for Security Aspects of Certification (PSecAC), supporting Security Development Plan, and PSecAC Summary.
- Perform aircraft, system, and item-level security risk assessments per DO-356A/ED-203A, and develop the certification evidence - security risk assessments, verification results, and compliance data - required to support the security aspects of certification.
- Serve as technical point of contact with the FAA (and other applicable certification authorities or their designated representatives) on cybersecurity certification deliverables and activities for civil aviation programs.
- Partners with systems, software, and safety engineering teams to embed airworthiness security requirements into design and development early, and coordinate security certification activities with the broader certification schedule.
- Own the security certification documentation set - security plans, risk assessments, compliance matrices, and means-of-compliance packages - and maintain configuration control as programs move through certification milestones.
- Validate and build on the aviation cyber certification-related work already performed by the Lead Engineer, Information Systems Security - including authorization artifacts such as test reports supporting military airworthiness efforts - and serve as Merlin's dedicated subject-matter expert for aviation cyber certification across both military and civil programs.
Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree with 6-9 years of cybersecurity or systems security engineering experience, including direct experience on civil aviation airworthiness security or certification programs.
- Direct experience applying DO-326A/ED-202A, ARP4754B, and DO-356A/ED-203A on an aircraft or system certification program.
- Experience interfacing with the FAA, EASA, or other certification authorities (directly or through a DER/ODA Unit Member (UM)) on the security aspects of a type certification or supplemental type certification (STC) program.
- Demonstrated ability to build certification processes, procedures, and documentation from the ground up in the absence of existing infrastructure.
- Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision while coordinating across systems, software, safety, and program management teams.
Nice to Haves:- Working knowledge of systems security engineering practices (e.g., RMF, vulnerability assessment, DISA STIGs), given crossover with Merlin's defense-side security engineering work.
- Background in aerospace, avionics, autonomous systems, or another safety-critical engineering domain where security requirements intersect with airworthiness and safety certification (e.g., familiarity with ARP4761 safety assessment processes).
- U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain a security clearance, given crossover with Merlin's defense programs.
- Experience mentoring engineers on security requirements or building out a security engineering function/team as a program or company scales.
- Familiarity with DoD cyber authorization efforts, including Interim Authorization to Test (IATT) and Authorization to Operate (ATO) processes.
$165,000 - $220,000 a year
The compensation range provided is reflective of
base salary only, and is a good-faith estimate based on a wide range of factors. The actual offer will be determined by a variety of factors including the candidate's qualifications, skills, experience, education, and training. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Merlin's total compensation package. Additionally, Merlin offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees.
Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, flexible paid time off, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.
